About the Southwest Marketing Network

Note: The SWMN is currently at a low level of activity as we explore new ways of responding to current needs in the region. Not all pages are maintained. More.

The Southwest Marketing Network was initiated to increase regional marketing expertise and opportunities for farmers and ranchers in the Four Corners states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

The Network brings together projects already "on the ground," their sponsors, and participants to learn together, especially from successful projects and programs within region, and points to resources available to help with marketing and business planning.

Our goal is to ensure that new, existing, and prospective Southwest producers - especially small-scale, alternative, and minority producers - have the connections with others, technical and financial assistance, marketing information, business and marketing skills, and peer examples to improve their marketing success, viability, and bottom line.

Our Activities

Many of our trainings, workshops, and working meetings take place at our SWMN Annual Conference. See SWMN Conferences for brochures from past conferences as well as news of our next one. Newsletters are published quarterly and distributed to over 3100 producers and service providers in the Southwest. All newsletters are posted on our Newsletter page for downloading. A Needs Assessment Survey was conducted of needs related to alternative marketing, and this guides our planning of Network activities. Special workshops are offered throughout the region, and several funded projects are designed to address specific needs.

Steering Committee and Collaborators

Steering Committee members, listed in the column to the left, are giving their time to help guide this project. People from each of the four project states represent many of the diverse groups of our region. This is only a beginning - the full representation of the region will consist of those who choose to become intimately involved in Network activities.

SWMN Partner Organizations & Contacts

While we work with a large number of groups throughout the region, we are listing here the organizations of our Steering Committee, Advisors, and those of individuals who have agreed to be listed on our Directory of Expertise, also on this website. Please visit our SWMN Partners web page to see who works closely with the Southwest Marketing Network.